In the fascinating world of birds, falcons probably are the most impressive, the most agile and the most elegant fliers. It's a delight to see them hunting. Most falcon species have a particular way of doing it, but the top hunter is surely the peregrine falcon. Peregrine falcons nest mainly on cliffs. Surprisingly, today one can find them in large cities, where they consider the big buildings to be cliffs and where they have quite a plentiful supply of food. This is because most cities have a major bird population, consisting of pigeons and other species. Because these magnificent birds are so difficult to see close, it was a challenge to paint this portrait close-up. I wanted to make the viewer feel the thrill that one gets when watching a wild bird through binoculars. I chose a young bird getting into adult plumage, but still showing some brownish feathers. - CB